Ah! The devil's in the details
by zeroIQ
Summary: For several years, Mara's plans failed one after another. So after a lot of frustration, she decides to change tactics and try to exploit the way Keiichi's wish was worded in order to sent the goddesses back home. [One shot]


This is a small idea I had while writing the 'Miss Keiichi' arc in one of my stories (The lost contract), that was partially inspired by the equivalent arc from the canon series.

While this is partially unrelated to anything else, I must admit that there's a bit of hint about some sort of continuity with my other stories towards the end (especially with one of my other one shots - Almighty Skuld). Of course, it's not necessary to read that in order to find out what's going on here, but it might be an added bonus to this one shot.

I do not own the Ah! Megami sama / Oh! My Goddess series. Also I don't own Godzilla, either.

* * *

Living at an abandoned arcade for the last couple of years was far from fitting for a first class demoness and while Mara didn't think much about it at first, it was something that constantly reminded her of her past failures. Time after time, she had attempted to send those three goddesses back home and every plan she came up with, ended in one fiasco or another.

Even Hild's arrival didn't turn the tides to her favor as the Daimakaicho wasn't really trying to separate Belldandy from her mortal client and boyfriend, either to avoid agitating her daughter or for a much more personal reason: they probably reminded her of the relationship she once had with Tyr.

Whatever her motives may had been, the Daimakaicho proved to be of little assistance to Mara and throughout the next few years, there was literally no progress whatsoever. She had hit the point where most others would've simply given up and pack their things for a return trip to Niflheim. But such a thing would definitely have an impact on her reputation, as everyone would certainly make fun of her for the lack of any results after years of efforts and simply accuse her for being an idiot and a failure. After all, in the competitive demonic society one's failure could be another's gain and with a first class demoness like her in such a predicament, Mara had little doubt that going back empty handed was just unacceptable.

'There has to be a better way! I've tried all sorts of methods and every time they somehow prevailed. Maybe I'm not focusing on the real problem? Hm… Those three are here because of the guy's wish. If… the contract he made with Belldandy was invalidated in some way… then she and her sisters will have no other option but to go home.'

It was the Eureka moment the demoness had been waiting for all those years. At no point she had literally tried to use Asgard's own rules against them and with a wish so awkwardly phrased, there was some room for her to manipulate the situation to her advantage.

 _I want a goddess like you to stay with me forever._

That was what Keiichi wished from Belldandy and with a simple, yet devious use of one of Urd's potions, Mara was certain that the middle Norn would no longer fit that description.

'Why didn't I think of that earlier? Oh… this is going to do it! Finally! I'll send them back home in no time!'

Cackling like a madwoman until her pained throat caused her to end up in a coughing fit, Mara rushed to fly towards her destination.

The Tariki Hongan temple.

XXX

Searching through Urd's numerous potions, pills and other forms of medicine, the blonde demoness felt that time was running out for her. If she remained here for too long, it was almost certain that the goddesses would inevitably detect her, ruining any chances for her plan to succeed.

'Come on! It _has_ to be somewhere! I know that she's got a potion like that!...'

Glancing towards the door every time a sound came from the corridor, Mara's search became even more frantic as she was _so_ close to an almost certain victory and the only thing standing in her way was the absolutely bizarre characters the half goddess used to label her potions.

'Honestly… where did she come up with those hieroglyphs? Now was it a bald man at first or a snake? No, maybe the skull?...'

Suddenly, an inscription seemed rather familiar to the blonde demoness and with a huge grin she opened the jar, stealing a couple of the little pills and then tried to put everything back in place before she turned back into a chibi form and hovered for the gap in the ceiling tiles and into the attic.

'Yes! Just you wait… Belldandy! This time, victory's going to be mine!'

XXX

Humming a cheerful tone, the middle of the Norns was preparing a cake for her beloved Keiichi who definitely deserved a treat after working so hard for Chihiro during the last couple of days. Especially in the middle of the summer, such work proved to be even more unbearable due to the heat, making the poor mortal feel a lot more tired than normal.

Thankfully, Chihiro had offered them a few days off and combined with the upcoming weekend, that would act as a great opportunity for Keiichi to relax and blow some steam off. They even had plans to visit a beach and much to her embarrassment, Belldandy had agreed to try one of the bikinis Urd had picked for her that was a tad more daring than her normal ones. Although not nearly as revealing as the absolutely scandalous microkinis her sister sometimes wore, Belldandy wondered what Keiichi would think if she tried to show a little bit more skin.

Of course the whole point wasn't to try and tempt him with a sexier bikini, but to show that she was willing to try new things for his sake; an effort she thought that Keiichi might appreciate, even if he didn't expect her to do that. Still, that was exactly the reason why Belldandy wanted to try something fancier for him and even felt giddy at the idea of seeing him blush because of her; and not thanks to her older sister's antics for a change.

Yet, considering how busy Belldandy was both with preparing the cake and even her thoughts, she had failed to notice that there was another one in the room, spying on her from her hiding place above the kitchen's shelves. Using a concealing spell to hide her demonic aura, Mara was biding her time for the best opportunity to drop Urd's pills into the cake mix and that moment came when Belldandy had to go and check the oven's temperature.

In a blink of an eye, four colorful tiny crystals landed into the creamy mix and started to sink into it, before Belldandy could return and notice that another ingredient was added into her cake. As a result, the middle Norn gave the mix a few final stirs and then prepared to put it into the oven, all while Mara couldn't help but grin from ear to ear knowing that this time, her plan actually worked. Soon, the three goddesses would've no other option but to pack and return home, and with victory all but assured, Mara simply retreated back to the attic.

All the demoness had to do is wait until they ate the spiked cake and the medicine kicks in, which according to her calculations should happen by tomorrow morning. Then, she could finally be the one laughing here, instead of being laughed at.

XXX

" _Aieee!_ "

A loud shout reverberated throughout the Morisato residence early in the morning, even before most of the other members of the household woke up. Yet despite the fact that it came from Belldandy's room, it almost sounded as if it belonged to a young man, although it wasn't Keiichi's; the only male resident in this house.

Staring down at herself, Belldandy had no idea what was going on, since her body appeared almost unrecognizable and a quick glance at the mirror verified that regardless of the perspective, she was indeed totally different compared to what she looked like before she went to bed.

'How… did this happen?'

It was a legitimate question, as the goddess was now staring back at the reflection of a young god. While certain features were rather familiar, including her markings, eye color, skin complexity and even her hair that remained almost unchanged, the rest of her body was definitively masculine. She was now a… _he_ , and a despite her immense embarrassment, a quick pat on her crotch verified that yes… he had every reason to be considered a male.

"Holy Bell!"

The panicking goddess turned-into-god watched his angel appeared before him with a look of concern that mirrored his own expression, but much to his relief, Holy Bell was still the way she was supposed to be: a female. As a reflection of her innermost self, this meant that deep down, Belldandy remained the same despite the current… modifications to her physical shell.

'Mistress? Um… what happened?'

"I've got no idea, to be honest with you," said Belldandy in his now deeper voice, that sounded totally unfamiliar to him "I went to bed and woke up like this!"

Tilting her head in confusion, the baffled angel glided closer to her mistress… or rather... _master_ , and much to Belldandy's horror, she lifted the front of his nightie that was the very same one the brunette goddess was wearing when she went to bed. " _Holy Bell?! What in Heaven's name are you looking at?!_ "

'Uh… I was just checking whether I should call you master or not…'

"Please don't stare at such… such… things!" said the blushing god, unable to even utter the word meant to describe that particular part of his new body, Belldandy tugged the front of his nightie, giving Holy Bell a pointed look.

'But, that's… yours, master. It's not like I'm peeping on guys or something and besides, you know that I would've never done that.' Holding her hands in front of her in silent protest, the angel suddenly started to blush, making Belldandy follow her gaze and then froze.

" _I-I-Is… that?..._ "

Nodding slowly, the angel bit her knuckles while her cheeks turned into a richer shade of red, as she confirmed her master's suspicions. 'Yes, I believe that's what they describe as… morning wood…'

The resulting shriek literally shook the whole house, and soon after, a few unfamiliar voices joined in, now that the rest of the residents were fully awake.

XXX

"Alright, what have you done now, Urd?"

Giving the Norn of the past a suspicious look, Keiichi tried hard to ignore the sound of his own voice. In a twist of fate the sole male of the household was now the sole female, standing in the middle of the living room surrounded by three gods who appeared to be equally confused as to what took place here.

"What makes you so darn certain that it was me?"

Tall, lean and yet muscular at the same time, Urd appeared to match every woman's description of the perfect guy; at least as far as appearance was concerned Yet in all irony, the buxom young lady in front of her was far from impressed about his long silvery white hair or the perfectly visible six pack on his abs. She wanted the antidote to whatever they must've taken and while that was perfectly understandable, Urd didn't like the accusation of being the one behind this practical joke.

"You're the only one who has the potions capable of changing our bodies like that!" insisted Keiichi, with Skuld joining in.

"Yeah, you may think this is fun, but you know what?... _It's not!_ I want to go back the way I was!" said the young god, stomping his foot on the floor.

"For the last time, I did nothing and besides… what's _your_ problem Skuld?" shot Urd back at her youngest brother. "Out of all of us, you look almost the same as you used to…"

"No, I don't!" objected the enraged deity, pointing at her crotch with a distressed look on her face. "There's… a wiggly thingy… down there."

"Well… in this case, I guess it's the best way to find out about boys. It's much better than the old school talk about the birds and the bees," said Urd with such a wide grin that caused her little brother to seethe in rage and nearly throw a bomb at him, until Belldandy intervened.

" _Neesan!_ Uh… I mean… _niisan!_ What are you telling to poor Skuld? Shame on you!" Frowning at his chuckling brother, Belldandy suddenly paused when he realized that whatever applied to Skuld was also true for him too. And by the looks of it, Urd was perfectly aware of that little fact.

"Alright, maybe it's a bit early for Skuld, although it's definitely fine for you Bell!" said the god of the past. "This is the perfect opportunity to find out what boys like and then apply that once you get back to normal!"

" _No, I won't!_ " said the defiant god of the present, crossing his arms as he tried to avoid any caustic comments about what he really thought of this whole situation.

"Oh, really?" Raising an eyebrow, Urd walked towards Keiichi who gave him a curious look, but before she could ask what was going on, the god was already behind her and reached to pull the front of her t-shirt up. Now, considering that Keiichi's clothes remained the same, despite her new form, this simply meant that the brunette wasn't wearing a brassiere and that was more than enough to catch Belldandy's attention. "Take a good look here Bell-kun!"

" _N-N-Niisan?! What do you think you're doing?! Let go of Keiichi's shirt right now!_ " shouted the blushing god, while the poor mortal was too surprised to offer any kind of response.

However, her unruly sibling ignored her and merely grinned as she stared at his transformed brother with an intrigued grin on his face. Following his gaze to find out what was so interesting about him, Belldandy looked directly down and then his eyes went wide in shock.

" _EEK! Don't look!_ "

XXX

It took Belldandy a while to calm down and get out of his hiding place in his room's closet, but with that little incident over, the temple residents had to deal with a much more pressing matter. Most of their regular outfits were suited for their current forms, and the first priority was to find something they'd be comfortable to wear.

For Keiichi and Skuld, things were a bit more simple, as with a couple of modifications Keiichi's casual clothes could be worn by a girl, while Skuld also possessed a few pants she could use without much modifications. Loose fitting clothes were sort of a fashion statement by teenagers and as such, it proved relatively simple for Skuld to find something suitable for him.

The real problem was with the two elder Norns who rarely wore anything that could be taken as unisex. Belldandy greatly favored dresses and most of Urd's pants were obviously meant for women. So, coming up with suitable outfits was a bit more time consuming for those two, but in the end, they've managed to use Keiichi's clothes as a basis to fashion themselves some casual attires.

"Are you sure you got the size right, niisan? Your T-shirt looks awfully tight to me…"

"That's the point, Bell!" said Urd flexing his chest muscles a bit. "It allows the ladies to appreciate my well sculpted body!"

"Even as a god, you're still a shameless exhibitionist," muttered Skuld, crossing his arms.

"You do realize that I can casually walk around with an open shirt, since it's far less of a taboo for men to do that?" shot Urd back and to prove his point he snapped his fingers, turning his top into a loose shirt, but with most of the buttons already open. Putting a hand behind his head, the bronze skinned god posed for his stunned audience that barely believed what they saw. "Mmm… I think this suits me _way_ better. I cannot just hide this sexiness!"

"I really hope I'm not going to have nightmares about this…" said Skuld and Keiichi at the same time, with Belldandy only blinking at the sight of her brother's toned muscles.

That's when the phone began to ring and caught their attention. Heading towards it with a curious expression on his face, Belldandy soon realized that this wasn't a mere coincidence; it had to do with the fact that all three Norns were now gods

"Hello, this is Morisato residence."

" **It is I.** "

"Father…" Try as he might, Belldandy had no idea what to say in a situation like this. Asking something as obvious as what was wrong would've simply sounded silly, and without knowing the culprit behind his current predicament, Belldandy could simply wait to hear what his father wanted to tell them.

" _ **Son…**_ **I've got some good and some bad news. And given how they're both related to each other, I'll start with the bad ones. For the time being, you cannot fulfill the terms of your contract with your mortal client. Therefore...** "

However, Belldandy didn't get to listen to the last part, as the mouthpiece slipped from his hand and fell down on the floor; exactly where he also ended up a moment later, as the young god promptly lost consciousness.

" _Belldandy!_ "

XXX

 _Abandoned arcade, Nekomi_

" _Party time, party time! WHOHOO! Yeah, baby!_ "

To say that Mara was ecstatic would've been an understatement. It was rare for her to throw a party these days, most likely… because there was little reason to celebrate anything. Most of her recent plans had ended up in one fiasco or another; but not this one.

She didn't even had to wait and watch all the sappy drama that was unmistakingly taking place over at the temple. As soon as Tyr called to tell his… son the news, Mara headed back to throw a party for her monumental success. The blonde demoness even smiled when she saw Hild approach her, thinking that the Daimakaicho came to congratulate for achieving an almost impossible feat. And on top of all that, she assumed that this also was the reason why her fearsome mistress was in her full form, instead of the childish avatar she left behind on the mortal realm.

"Ma-chan. I must admit that was quite… spectacular, to say the least."

"That's high praise, Hild-sama! It's such an honor!" Tears of joy ran freely down her cheeks as the rest of her body shook from the excitement of her greatest victory so far.

"Well, I guess you can say that I'm praising you. I've honestly never seen a failure more epic than this," said Hild with a dry chuckle.

"Yes! It was an epic succ-... uh… _failure?_ _How?!_ " asked the horrified demoness who couldn't understand just what went wrong with her plan. "They're all gods right now! That invalidates Belldandy's contract with Keiichi!"

"It's quite simple, really… Tyr sent Peorth to act as Bell-chan's placeholder," said Hild with a wink.

"That's… that's… _cheating!_ " cried Mara, as more tears came down her cheeks, this time out of frustration. "It's so low…so underhanded… _so cheap!_ "

"What can I say? Those too are some of Tyr's good qualities," said Hild with an almost dreamy look on her face, before she started to walk towards Mara.

"W-Wait! Please don't seal me! I…can… no!... I _will_ fix this!" pleaded Mara, falling on her knees and lowering her head on the floor. "I'll make Peorth a god too, and then…"

"And… Tyr's going to send another goddess, all while the celestial population on earth will increase by one," said Hild, standing before Mara and after staring at her, she sidesteps the demoness and heads towards the full sized mirror behind her.

"Huh?"

Instead of punishing her subordinate for her latest failure, the Daimakaicho merely inspected her reflection, before she summoned a red lipstick and applied just enough to make her lips stand out. It almost appeared as if she was preparing for a date, and this only made Mara even more confused as to what was going on here; given that it was public knowledge that her leader was currently single.

"There! Now I really look perfect!" Blowing a kiss in the air at her reflection, Hild turned to her intrigued subordinate and motioned for her to get up from the floor. "That should be enough, Ma-chan! I must admit that although technically a failure, your plan is far from a _total and complete disaster_. There are a few… interesting side effects and I'd love to make the best out of this _unique_ opportunity."

"Really?" It felt almost too good to be true and to the somewhat pessimistic demoness, her mistress' dismissal of her failure was far _too_ generous. Although nowhere as ruthless and aggressive as some other demonesses, Hild was far from lax and indifferent of her subordinates' performance. As such, Mara had expected some kind of punishment even if it was a comical one, like making her listen to rock music or perhaps putting lucky charms next to her. This reaction on the other hand was rather unexpected and worrying that it was some kind of a trap, Mara had to take some precautions for her own good.

"Of course! I've always wondered what it would've been like if I had a son, and even better… with Belldandy being this similar to her father… I can hardly wait to meet _Bell-kun!_ " The mischievous look on her face, along with her tight red dress left little doubt as to the demoness' intentions and as such, it took all Mara's willpower to resist gawking at her amorous leader.

" _H-Hild-sama? Y-You can't possibly mean!… U-Urd's going to get mad if..._ "

"Now, now… I've got no intentions to go as far as to date Bell-kun, but… having some fun with him is fair game," said Hild, only to notice the blonde's rather profound blush as she offered her leader a reluctant nod. "Not that kind of fun, you silly girl! I'd rather not risk ending up as my daughter's… sister-in-law, or worse offer her a nephew or a niece that would also count as a sibling. Besides… messing up the family tree like that is hardly what a demoness of my status is expected to do, regardless of Urd's opinion about the whole subject."

"Uh… right. I'm sorry, Hild-sama, I just assumed…"

"Yes, yes I know…" said the Daimakaicho with a dismissive wave of her hand. "However, I'm more than interesting to hear if they had any special plans that I can use to my advantage. So, did you happen to hear about anything out of the ordinary while you were there?"

"Well… they intended to go to the beach today, although… I'm not quite certain if they're still planning to do that," said Mara with an uncertain shrug. "I kind of left after the phone rang and… well, you know…"

" _Interesting_. I like the sound of that… Oh, this is going to be _fun_ for sure!"

XXX

 _Tariki Hongan Temple, Nekomi_

Rose petals flew everywhere as the brunette goddess struggled to get a hold of herself. Hovering in mid air as she kept cackling like a madwoman, Peorth paused for a moment to take another glimpse at the already miffed silver haired god, only to resume laughing a second later.

" _Bwa ha ha ha!_ And you thought that it was funny when I turned into a kid! This is _so_ glorious!"

"Very funny…" mumbled Urd, narrowing his eyes at the rose goddess who in his opinion was _too_ amused by their predicament. "But you know what? I bet you'll end up falling for my dashing looks, Rosy!"

" _Hey!_ Who are you calling _Rosy_?" shot Peorth back at the smirking god in a much more somber tone than before, all while the rest of them simply gawked at the Norn of the past. "And don't be so sure about me falling for you either, pal! Even with those amazing abs and the… delicious pecs… I… won't…"

"See? My natural charm is already doing its thing, baby!" said Urd with the cheesiest smile he could muster, making the goddess snap out of it and wince.

"That was the worst pickup line I've even heard… Okay, maybe it's the second worst, after the infamous _nice booty_ thingamajig. But honestly, Urd! That's shameless even for you!" said Peorth, as she crossed her arms in front of her. "I came all the way here to help Keiichi with his… um… her wish and this is what I get in return?"

"Please don't sound so unhappy my sweet rose," said Urd in a low, husky tone as he cupped the stunned goddess' chin and leaned closer. So much that Peorth had to leap back in horror.

"Stop! You're not stealing a kiss, you!..." shouted the brunette, summoning her thorny vines to form a barrier between herself and the amorous god. "Besides, this isn't a shoujo manga!"

"No kidding… It works like a charm there," said Urd, scratching his head while giving Skuld a sideways glance. "Hear that, kiddo? Don't try to use them for advice."

"Who said I'm looking for advice in there? And stop looking at my manga!" said Skuld, but before he could reach for a bomb, Belldandy decided to step in and prevent the situation to escalate out of control.

"Okay, I believe that's enough for the time being." Turning to Peorth, the Norn of the present tried to collect his thoughts as to how to approach the whole topic. He was obviously reluctant to let her take over the contract he had with Keiichi, but given that the only other alternative was to have the said contract revoked, Belldandy was more or less forced to accept Peorth's help. At least she wasn't eager to flirt with Keiichi in her current state, but at the same time, jealousy was an irrational feeling. "Peorth, is it really alright for you to take over Keiichi's wish?"

"I suppose so," said the rose goddess with a casual shrug. "It's merely a technicality until the potion's effect wears off and you all go back to normal. By the way… how long is it going to take, Urd?"

Tapping her chin with a thoughtful expression on his face, the god made a few calculations in his mind as to how strong that gender switch potion was and quickly came up with a rough estimate. "Well… I think the effect should wear off in 20 to 24 hours. So, by tomorrow we should all be back to normal."

"What about an antidote?" asked Keiichi, who was clearly uncomfortable with the idea of staying like this for an entire day. After all, they were supposed to go to the beach and even took a day off from work for that very reason.

"Hm… I can make a batch in an hour or two, but the problem is that it needs a day to set and crystallize which… means that by the time it'll be ready, we won't even need an antidote. But… just to be safe, I'll go ahead and make a batch before we leave," said Urd, much to Keiichi's surprise.

"Wait! We're… _still_ going to the ocean?" asked the baffled mortal, pointing to herself. "I can't show up like this in public! I… I don't even have a proper swimsuit!"

"Keiichi, we shouldn't allow this setback to ruin our plans," said Belldandy with an affectionate smile. "I'll give you one of my swimsuits and even modify it a bit, if it's not exactly your size. So don't worry about it!"

Letting out a sigh, Keiichi already knew that she was going to regret this, but calling their plans off wasn't a favorable option either. Asking for another day off so soon, would've been too much even if Chihiro was a friend of theirs, so in the end Keiichi saw that it was for the best to simply agree; despite her reservations.

"Fine… I just hope that nothing will go wrong…"

XXX

One of the best things about living with deities was their ability to teleport wherever they wanted in a blink of an eye. Instead of spending nearly an hour for their road trip to the ocean, Keiichi and his group of immortals found themselves in a crowded beach in less than ten minutes after they've made all the necessary preparations; including what they'd wear for such an occasion.

"Hey, this place looks really nice!" said Skuld as he gazed around the beach. After several efforts to pick a suitable swimwear, the young god decided to simply pick a wetsuit, to avoid walking around topless. Despite being a male at the time being, Skuld still hesitated to act like one, especially as the difference between his current and previous forms wasn't all that evident from the waist up. As such, the Norn of the future vehemently refused to follow Belldandy's example of wearing Keiichi's swimming trunks.

Of course, the god of the present also felt rather nervous at the prospect of being topless, despite his best efforts to rationalize that such a thing was pretty normal for a male. Still, given that Keiichi had to wear one of her bikinis, Belldandy wanted to make her feel better knowing that she wasn't the only one forced to wear something that she would've never considered under normal circumstances.

"Indeed… Everyone's so lively here…"

"What's up Bell? You sound all tensed up, so why don't you just relax a bit and enjoy the sun?" Approaching his brother with a wide grin on his face and an arm wrapped around Peorth's shoulders, Urd was clearly having a blast. It was quite entertaining to see Belldandy and Keiichi's reactions, as well as Peorth's own blush who found herself in such a bizarre situation.

"Uh… niisan? What's going on here?" asked the baffled Belldandy, pointing between the two of them, much to Urd's amusement.

"Oh, you mean my _gorgeous rose?_ "

"That's my angel's name," said Peorth behind clenched teeth, giving the amorous god a dirty glare. "And stop acting as if I'm your girlfriend, Urd! This whole idea was to keep those girls away from harassing you! So, don't get any funny ideas!"

Looking over the wish granter's shoulder, Belldandy and Keiichi could clearly see a group of blushing girls in the distance; clearly interested to meet this handsome bronze skinned god. Although a more careful examination of that group revealed that while most of them stared at Urd, there were still plenty of those young ladies that were apparently captivated by Belldandy's charm.

"Oh!"

"That's right, Bell. And I think that you and Keiichi do the same, before they try to grab your attention," advised Urd while making an attempt to sound more serious than he was before. "Once they realize that you're not available, they're bound to lose interest."

"Hold on a second, Urd!" protested Keiichi, speaking for the first time since they got there. "You're not suggesting that we act as a… _couple?..._ "

"But… we _are_ a couple." Belldandy's dejected voice made Keiichi wish to kick herself for making such a statement in front of the middle Norn. After all those years together, it was a bit too much to suddenly act like that because of their temporary gender issue. A condition that would merely last for less than a day, compared to all that time since the goddess' arrival on Earth.

"Uh… I didn't mean it like that… I…" Looking at the others for help, only to see them shake their heads, Keiichi knew that he had to fix this mess on her own. After all, she made it in the first place and as a result it was her responsibility to make amends. "I'm really sorry about that, Belldandy. This whole situation is playing games with my mind, as it seems. I know that it's a temporary thing and a superficial change for the most part, but… humans are a bit more hardwired to react to physical changes. We cannot adjust our appearances nearly as easily as your species can and a lot of things are tied to the way we appear; despite how superficial that may look to you."

"I understand, Keiichi. I think that sometimes I forget the limitations of the human mind, as I never tried to see you as anything less than an equal, so I also have to apologize for imposing such expectations upon you," said Belldandy with a smile, trying to show that he had taken no offense of Keiichi's previous statement. "So, how about we also enjoy our time here? We can still act like very good friends, right?"

"Yes, that would be perfect!" said the excited Keiichi, given that a major disaster was averted.

"Then how about I buy you some ice cream?" asked Belldandy pointing at a beach shop in the distance.

"But I'm the one who should be…"

"Not today, Keiichi," said Belldandy with a smile, as he held up a tiny wallet. "Today's my treat, so, let's go and buy something nice for us!"

XXX

In retrospect, ignoring Urd's warning to openly act as a couple, proved to be a major error on their part. Waiting for them next to the ice cream shop like hungry predators looking for easy prey, those girls found the perfect opportunity to talk to dreamy guy who appeared to be straight out of the pages of a shojo manga. And unfortunately, Belldandy's non assertive methods of trying to show them that he wasn't interested failed to get the message across as the flirty girls refused to leave them alone.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Do you have any pets?"

"Do you like j-pop?"

The barrage of questions nearly overwhelmed poor Belldandy who had no idea what to do in a situation like this, and soon found himself surrounded by his newfound fans. All while Keiichi started to get annoyed by these girls' attitude. It should've been more than obvious to them that Belldandy wasn't interested and yet they relentlessly pressed on, even to the point of forming a barrier between them, preventing Keiichi from getting too close to the overwhelmed god.

"Excuse me." She knew that something had to be done about this, but the almost literal wall of girls denied her the opportunity to grab Belldandy's hand and simply drag him out of here. They could always get ice cream later, once this hungry swarm of girls lost interest, but before she managed to squeeze her way through them, Keiichi felt one of them give her a forceful bump with her rump. Struggling to maintain her balance, the brunette student fell backwards and right into the slender yet surprisingly strong arms of a well endowed woman. Almost out of habit, Keiichi was about to thank Urd for helping her, before she remembered that the Norn of the past was currently a god and couldn't be the one who came to her aid. "Huh? Who?..."

"Hello… Keiichi- _chan…_ " With an amused purr, Hild looked down at the mortal who stared back at her with wide eyes as she could hardly believe what she saw. This wasn't the Daimakaicho's childlike avatar, but her main body in all her glorious form; yet that wasn't what caught Keiichi's attention. It was the mere fact that Hild was unlikely to have dropped by just for a random visit.

"Hild? What are you doing here?" asked the suspicious mortal as she straightened herself and quickly reminded herself of her current predicament. "Are you the one behind this?"

"My, my! Such hostility from one as cute looking as you, Keiichi!" laughed Hild, taking a moment to let the mortal get a good glimpse of her purple bikini; that greatly reminded her of the golden one Urd wore a while ago, but with the color scheme reversed. Instead of being mostly golden with a decorative purple pattern, it was the other way around for this one. "However, I'm not to blame for your current predicament, although… I do admit that it's rather amusing and I wanted to take a closer look at what was going on here."

'Then it must've been Mara… Not sure if I should feel happier or not.' Resisting the urge to groan, Keiichi glanced over at Belldandy who hadn't even noticed anything, given how busy she was answering questions or at the very least find a way to politely refuse offering any comments. Which happened with most of them and at this point, Keiichi had no doubt that she looked like a jealous girlfriend. Yet no matter how much she wanted to get into a catfight with some of those shameless girls, Keiichi still felt that such a thing wasn't going to please Belldandy one bit. Instead, she turned at the only source of help she could use at the time being, as the others were nowhere to be seen. "I know that I'll come to regret it, but… Can you give me a hand here?"

" _Me?_ " Hild had to admit that the mortal's request caught her off guard, as it was unexpected for Keiichi to act in such a devious manner. Even though her original intention was to flirt with Belldandy just for fun, she never thought that Keiichi of all people would actually encourage her. Although in all fairness, the brunette probably expected her to simply use her command voice to send those girls away or some other method of getting rid of them; however… without specifying what she wanted from the Daimakaicho, Hild was free to use that as the perfect excuse. "Sure, don't worry about a thing, Keiichi-chan! Leave it to me!"

Striding confidently towards the besieged god, Hild couldn't help but smile as the slight resemblance between Belldandy and his father brought back some memories. Actually, if Skuld was much older than he currently was, then the family resemblance would've been even more noticeable, but in the end, that wasn't the case. Shaking her head to prevent certain memories from resurfacing, Hild put a smile on her face and decided to play along and have some fun for as long as this lasted. " _Bell-kun!_ "

Recognizing the voice, the Norn of the present turned to face Hild and in his almost stereotypical fashion, Belldandy simply waved back at the demoness. "Oh, hello Hild! Are you here for Urd? He's probably sunbathing with Peorth over at…"

"I know, I know… saw him already, but I'll give him some space to work his magic with his new… girlfriend," said Hild dismissively, pointing at her side while walking towards the god. "In the meanwhile, how about we hang around a bit?"

"Of course, I wouldn't mind some company," said the unsuspecting god, totally unused at the idea that such a friendly attitude towards a member of the opposite sex could be taken a sign of interest. And for the girls around him, this bronze skinned bodacious woman was _way beyond_ their league.

Cursing under their breath, one after another they slowly left, leaving a confused god behind, as Belldandy had no idea what caused them to give up all of a sudden. Then again, he quickly started to realize that Hild had something to do with it, when the demoness latched on his lift arm, pressing herself against him so hard that some might take it as act of intimacy.

"Uh… Hild?" Looking down at her arm that was now trapped in the demoness' bosom, Belldandy made a subtle effort to pull away but to no avail; Hild just wouldn't let go.

'Oh, no you don't!' Rushing to grab the god's other arm, Keiichi decided to engage the Daimakaicho in this impromptu tug of war, even if all the odds were against her. "How about we buy that ice cream, now that those girls are gone?"

"That's an excellent idea, Keiichi-chan!" replied Hild, before Belldandy had the chance to do so. Even though the question wasn't actually directed at her, the demoness had no intention to leave them alone any time soon, but unlike those mortals who knew nothing about tact, antagonizing Keiichi would only convince Belldandy that she was trouble. "And after that, we can enjoy some refreshing iced tea! Wouldn't you like that, Bell-kun?"

"Y-Yes, I think that would be… n-nice." By now, Belldandy was starting to feel the full effect of having Hild's curvaceous body pressed against his; especially as the demoness used every bit of her experience to be as subtle in her teasing as possible. Unlike Urd who was far too obvious in her advances, Hild took a much slower approach that minimized any chances of an adverse reaction. She allowed her target to get used to her presence and carefully evaluated the situation before taking the next step.

'Grr… she's totally flirting with Belldandy! I must do something… Wait! Urd!' Looking in the platinum haired god's direction, Keiichi hoped that he was his salvation, and he just had the perfect plan to get them over there too. "Actually, how about we enjoy the sun for a while?"

"That's a great idea, Keiichi-chan!" said Hild with cheerful smile. "Let's try it!"

XXX

Hovering high above the ocean, Mara and her minute servant, Senbei observed the crowded beach in the distance, already plotting how to turn this situation around.

"Damn it! Even with their genders flipped, they're still acting as if nothing's wrong!" said Mara, lowering the binoculars she used to spy on them from a safe distance. "I _must_ do something to fix this and send them back before the end of the day! I've already failed so many times… I… why can't I just get it right for a change?"

"Because you're a bit clumsy? Oh yes!" said the little genie, making a silly dance in mid air that only infuriated the blonde demoness even further.

"Oh yes… _my foot!_ " shouted Mara back at him, baring her sharp canines at her startled servant. "Instead of acting like an idiot, why don't you give me a hand?"

"No, no! Mistress is asking too much! Hild-sama is going to be so mad with Senbei if I happen to hit her with my misfortune, too!"

"Actually… you've got a point there…" muttered Mara, before she realized that she needed another plan and immediately started rummaging her pockets for anything useful. "Aha! This is it! The Giant Monster potion! Once I sprinkle them with this bad boy, the goddesses… uh… I mean… the gods will become taller than buildings! That's going to force them to leave!"

"Way to go, my terrible mistress! Always so resourceful! Oh yes!…" said Senbei, but as he started another one of his victory dances, he suddenly sneezed. " _Achoo!... Shakin!_ "

" _What are you doing?!_ " screamed the horrified demoness looking around for an incoming disaster and noticing nothing out of the ordinary, she let out a sigh of relief before she turned back to her servant. "What's up with that unnatural sneezing, you idiot? I already have enough problems without your shenanigans!"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry! I just felt a breeze and…"

"Enough! Let's go, before we lose this opportunity!"

Flying towards the beach, Mara failed to notice that she had dropped the tiny vial containing the Giant Monster potion. Sinking towards the bottom of the ocean, the sparkling vial draw the attention of the local marine life and soon ended up in the stomach of a hungry critter that wanted a quick meal.

XXX

'Me and my stupid ideas! Why did I even open my big mouth?'

Keiichi could only blame herself for coming up with what eventually turned out to be the perfect excuse for Hild to take her top off, all the for the sake of not getting tan lines. Which… considering the demoness' skin complexity sounded pretty ridiculous, but even then, it didn't stop her from doing exactly that.

"Ah… I really like the warm sensation of basking under the sun," said Hild with a smile as she turned to the brunette god who was apparently getting rather uncomfortable by the second. "Wouldn't you agree, Bell-kun?"

"Uh… y-yes… it's pleasant," was all the embarrassed god could offer, as he desperately tried to keep his eyes away from the demoness' ample bosom. Considering that only her physical form was altered, Belldandy was actually more worried about Hild using this to entice Keiichi. Until… he suddenly noticed that while the mortal was mostly unaffected, the said couldn't be said about him. Turning to Keiichi, the blushing god finally understood what the poor mortal must've had gone through all these years. "Keiichi? Is this why you… grasp your crotch from time to time?"

"Well… yes." Letting out a sigh, Keiichi knew that lying to Belldandy at this point would've done nobody a favor, and in a way it could actually allow the god to realize that all those incidents weren't his exclusively _his_ fault. "With Peorth and especially Urd wearing those skimpy things all the time, it's very hard to avoid getting… well… that reaction."

Nodding, as the god now had a first hand experience of Keiichi's past woes, Belldandy couldn't help but ask for some advice. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"There are a few available options, actually. A cold shower could certainly help your body to calm down, or you could simply clear your mind and make innocent thoughts. You know… cute stuff like puppies and kitties, or even things you may consider as cute," said Keiichi with a knowing smile. "And if worse comes to worst and everything else proves to be ineffective… you can leave it to Skuld. She's the best joy kill I've ever met; although I mean no offense."

"None taken."

The unexpected interruption made Keiichi jump and turn to look at a grinning Skuld who was apparently unphased by the demoness' antics; as he had gotten used by Urd's own attempts to tease others.

"S-Skuld? When did you?..."

"Oh, I've noticed that someone was trying to hit on my big brother and that's why I've decided to drop in and give you a hand with her," said the young god as faced the Daimakaicho with a confident look on his face.

"Uh… Are you sure that's a great idea?" asked the worried Keiichi, fearing that whatever she was going to do would end up pissing Hild off.

However, the demoness herself was far from annoyed and actually grinned at the young god as she proudly placed her hands on her hips. "Oh my!... Don't tell me that you're going to blast me with a bomb! _What am I going to do now?_ "

"For starters… you should stand still for a moment," said Skuld while taking aim at the demoness' ample bosom and unleashed his special power, much to Hild's shock, when a bikini top was painted on her skin.

" _What the?!... That's… not even ink!_ " said the startled Daimakaicho as she hardly believed that the young god was capable of painting something like that on _her_ body.

"Yep, it's one of my special abilities! Body graffiti!" announced the proud god of the future, much to Keiichi and Belldandy's astonishment at the audacity of pulling something like that on _Hild_. "In the past all I could do was write text on someone's skin or even a solid surface, but… I can now paint shapes or even pictures on anything! I know it's not the same as putting a bikini top on you, but… hey, it works!"

'Hm… it's a rather unusual ability, but… I can easily remove it on my own. Still…' With a big grin on her face, Hild decided to go to the offensive, unwilling to admit defeat just yet and especially not to Skuld. "You know… I'll have to agree that it _does_ work. Although, the difference between the painted and the actual bikini is kind of noticeable, and in that case… how about you do the same for the other half too?"

"The other… half?..." repeated Skuld in wonder, while Belldandy and Keiichi's eyes went wide by the implications of such words. Even worse, when Hild grabbed the sides of her bikini bottom and started to tug it down, the young god immediately realized what was going on and turned crimson . "Hold on! You can't take _that_ off! It's not allowed here!"

"Really? Well… in that case, I hope that you do a great job, Skuld-kun!" said the cheerful Hild, before a hand grabbed her shoulder from behind and spun her around. "Oh, hi there, Urd-kun!"

"Mother..."

Despite her smile, Hild immediately took her hands off her bikini, before the half god's mood deteriorated even more. "My… what a handsome young god! Mama's so proud!"

"Don't you even start with that nonsense! Why are you here and… what the Hell did you try to show to my little brother?" demanded Urd, narrowing his eyes at the mischievous demoness, whose smile only got bigger.

"Oh, I just wanted to drop by for a visit and see what you guys were up to. After all… I suddenly got a son, so… I simply had to come and see that with my own eyes!"

"Really? Then pray tell me why you're hanging around my brothers, instead of coming straight to me?" countered Urd with a raised eyebrow, not buying his mother's explanation for a second.

"Honestly? it's because Bell-kun is so cute!" squealed the Daimakaicho, much to the aforementioned god's embarrassment and Urd's annoyance.

"Okay, that's enough fun for one day! You're coming with me," said the god of the past, making an effort to drag his mother away from his brother and Keiichi, but despite his best efforts the demoness wouldn't budge.

"Not so fast, Urd-kun. Before I leave them alone, I've got something to ask to Skuld-kun," said Hild in a serious tone as she turned around and pointed at the runes printed on her back. "Do you feel lucky? Well... do you, little punk?"

While Skuld hurried to hide behind Belldandy, his brothers could only stare at the characters that spelled ' _Nerf this!_ ' on the Daimakaicho's back.

"It was a joke!" complained Skuld, peeking around Belldandy for a moment to face Hild, before hiding once more when he noticed the demoness' stare.

" _You thought it was a great idea to prank my mother?_ " asked Urd, his frustration quite evident in his tone as he glared at his brother. "Do you have any idea what she can turn you into?"

"I'm sorry! I thought it was funny!"

"Well, it's not!"

"Alright, that's enough you two," said Hild and with a snap of her fingers she completely removed all trace of Skuld's painted bikini on her, along with those runes. Putting her actual bikini top back on and making sure that she was properly covered now that her son was present and could no longer tease Belldandy, Hild turned her attention to Skuld. "You can come out now, Skuld-kun. I'm not really angry, since I can appreciate a joke, although…"

"Yes?..." asked the fearful god as he stepped out from his hiding place and tried to face the Daimakaicho's terrible gaze.

Pointing a finger at the unsuspecting god, Hild unleashed a spell before he, or any other for that matter, had the chance to react. Hitting him dead on his chest, Skuld started to glow with a soft pink light and before everyone's astonished eyes, he grew taller. " _Huh? What's going on?"_

"Oh, not much… Just some payback, little one. Although… you're not so little for the time being," said Hild with a giggle as she inspected her handiwork. The god of the future was in what could be possibly described as his adult form, and much to her delight, her initial assumption was correct; he looked very similar to his father. So much that for a moment Hild wished she would've gone of some other kind of punishment, as this brought back a lot of memories. Shaking her head, the demoness wrapped an arm around Skuld and grinned at him; enjoying the worried look on his face. "And given how rude you've been with me, I think you need a proper lesson on how to act around a lady. So, how about we start with buying me some ice cream? Your treat of course."

" _My treat?!_ "

"Hold on! I'm coming along too!" said Urd, before he motioned for Peorth to follow him. "I'm not trusting you around my little sister… uh… brother!"

"Must I come along too?" asked the rose goddess, as she was clearly reluctant to be this close to the Daimakaicho if she could help it.

"Yes! Someone needs to chaperone them," said Urd, giving his mother and Skuld a sideways glance. " _Both of them._ "

"Hey! I'm not going to hit on your mom!"

XXX

Lying on her stomach, Keiichi tried to relax while Belldandy reached to get the sun lotion Urd had left behind. Of course, things would've been a lot better for her if they were back in their original bodies, but Keiichi didn't wish to repeat her previous error and push Belldandy away, just because of this temporary setback.

'Let's think of it this way… if Bell finds it easier to apply my sun lotion while I'm a girl, then she might do it when we're back in our original forms.'

"Keiichi? Are you feeling alright? Your face is all red," said Belldandy as he leaned closer to the embarrassed mortal. "Maybe you're suffering from heatstroke?"

"No! I'm… just fine!" said Keiichi without missing a beat. "I'll be much better after you put that lotion on me."

"Well, that's kind of true. At the very least, it should protect you from getting a sunburn," said Belldandy, applying some lotion on Keiichi's back and then began to massage her.

The sudden contact made the unsuspecting mortal nearly jump as she wasn't prepared for the sensation that spread through her body. 'W-What's going on here?'

"Um… Keiichi? Are you really alright? You're kind of twitching..."

"It's strange… I… My whole body's on fire!" said Keiichi, before a bucketful of water was bumped on her head. "Not literally, Bell…"

"But… don't you feel better?" asked the worried god, who feared that Keiichi was suffering from a heatstroke.

"Not really… Say… what's that thing you put on me?"

"Let me see," said Belldandy as he retrieved the bottle and checked its inscription. "Urd's herbal sensation. Makes the ladies go _mellow-mellow_."

" _Urd…_ I should've known!..." groaned Keiichi as she got up from the beach towel and motioned for Belldandy to take her place. "I don't think I can stand this anymore, so, it's my turn. However I won't try to use that on you, too."

Looking around, Keiichi smiled when she found another bottle of sunscreen and began to pour some onto Belldandy's chest. "Let's start with the front first."

For a moment, Belldandy seemed rather confused and even taken aback by such a proposition, until he realized that as a god, it wasn't that much of a big deal for someone to touch his chest. As such, he offered Keiichi a rather reluctant nod and made his best effort to ignore the almost instinctive need to pull away; especially since this was taking place in a public location.

Yet it soon became apparent that something was amiss, when Keiichi found it very hard to move her hands across Belldandy's chest and no matter how hard she tried to tug, they just remained fixed in their position.

" _What the?! I'm totally stuck!_ " said the distraught mortal as she found herself in a rather ridiculous situation, almost out of a comedy gag. "That thing was glue! It has to be!"

"But… why would anyone put glue in a sunscreen bottle? It's totally unsafe…" said Belldandy with a frown. Reaching for the bottle in question, he inspected it more carefully until he noticed an inscription on its bottom. "Wait! There's something written here! _For reading my manga without permission._ "

" _Skuld…_ He must've tried to prank Urd with this… and we ended up falling for it, instead," muttered Keiichi, before she let a frustrated sigh. "We need to go and find him…"

"Yes, I think that's kind of inconvenient," admitted Belldandy, before he started to smile. "Although it kind of remind me that time when I granted all those random wishes and we ended up holding hands for a while. Uh… Keiichi? Why are you looking at me like that?"

XXX

"Yes! They're finally alone! And with them stuck like that, it's going to be _so_ easy!"

Biding her time as she stalked her prey from a safe distance, Mara patiently awaited the moment those two would be alone. She knew that with Hild-sama around there was a realistic chance she'd mess things up and get _her_ instead; which… was the last thing Mara needed right now. The whole idea was to fix her mess, not make it even worse that it currently was.

"Quick! Gimme the potion, Senbei!"

"Huh? But… I thought that mistress had it?" said the tiny genie with a shrug. "Senbei never got it!"

"Uh…" Mara immediately started to search through her pockets in hopes of finding that blasted thing, but soon it became apparent that this was about to turn into yet another fiasco. "Are you sure? I can't find the darn thing anywhere! Just check your bottle!"

"No, no, no!... Senbei never puts dangerous potions in his bottle! Who knows might happen if the vial breaks and messed his poor house!" insisted the genie, much to the demoness' frustration.

"Then where is it? If neither of us has it, then…" Mara's eyes went wide with shock as a terrible realization hit her: she might've dropped it in the ocean. "Oh no… Don't tell me that it's…"

All of sudden, a low grumble could be heard in the distance while the ground shook violently, making everyone on the beach pause and look around. And just like the others, Mara initially assumed that it was merely an earthquake; a rather common phenomenon in Japan. However, when she saw the ocean swell in the distance until a massive pillar of water shot straight up in the air, it was fairly evident that there was more going on her and due to the lack of smoke, steam and brimstone, it wasn't an underwater volcano either.

Instead, a colossal green mass stood there like a newly formed island, but as it began to shift and stretch, it immediately became apparent that it was a living being. A gigantic, reptilian looking monstrosity, so alien and yet so eerily familiar started to look around.

"No… no… this can't be happening…"

Noticing the beach as it looked to its left, the giant let out an ear deafening roar, before it tuned and began to approach the stunned crowd.

"It's not happening! I reject reality!"

Still, the panicked cries around her, reminded Mara that it was indeed happening, and the most likely culprit was her lost potion; eaten by a critter that became non other than one of the most iconic Kaiju of all time.

As such, it was only a matter of time before the shocked onlookers came to the realization that this was indeed real and not part of their mind playing tricks on them and then… all hell broke loose.

" _AH! IT'S GODZILLA!_ "

XXX

" _Mother!_ Don't you think that's a bit _too_ much?"

Pointing at the gigantic reptile that slowly made its way towards the coast, Urd was totally convinced that it was yet another of the Daimakaicho's efforts to have some fun by messing around with them. Not that he was innocent, but this kind of prank was on a totally different level altogether.

"For the last time… I didn't do it!" protested Hild, as she crossed her arms while holding her ground. "Seriously… do you honestly think that I'd go _this_ far, just for the giggles?"

"Well… no, but…"

"Then stop blaming me! If I have to make a guess, I suppose it's just one of Ma-chan's plans backfiring; _again_. It looks like she's on a roll as of late," said Hild while rubbing her temples in frustration. "I mean… I thought that the whole gender flip thingy was kind of funny, but… this is going to cause so much paperwork."

" _Hild-sama!_ "

"Ah… I can almost hear her voice, crying out for me already," said Hild with a sigh, before Urd tapped her shoulder.

"You got that right. Look who's running towards us," said the half god, pointing at the panicked Mara.

" _Hild-sama, I… There's a huge problem!_ "

"It's okay, Ma-chan… I can already see what's wrong, and boy, it's _huge_ alright," said Hild with a wince as the Kaiju's thundering roar made it hard for them to hear their own thoughts, let alone talk to each other. Still, there was another rumbling noise added in this cacophony of sounds and as the ground shook, everyone turned to see what the commotion was about this time.

"Skuld? What do you think you're doing?" demanded Urd when he saw that self propelled siege mortar, the Norn of the future used during the Gate's strike.

"What else? I've finally got to use my Karl-Gerat, so I'm definitely going to give this bad boy a try!" said the excited god, who was clearly enjoying himself.

Palming himself, Urd started to feel that in all seriousness despite his previous antics, the others had outdone him by a huge margin. "Get down from that thing! And pray tell me why you're wearing that, too?"

"Hey, someone needs to stop that lizard, and if I get to use this, I might as well wear a period accurate uniform!" said Skuld, pointing at his attire with a prideful look on his face. "I also got this from a book I've read, and it's perfectly accurate down to the tiniest detail!"

"Well, it's accurate alright… for a US uniform, at least. Now, did you actually bother reading that book or you just stared at the pretty pictures?" asked Urd with a grin, as his brother stared back at him with a stunned expression, before scratching his head.

"Oops…"

"Never mind that," said Peorth who wasn't particularly happy to see that thing again. Not after being shot out of its barrel once. "Is it just me or this thing looks different?"

"Oh, that's right! This is the Karl-Gerat 041 variant that comes with the longer range barrel!" said the proud god of the future, but quickly realized that he had to explain more, given the blank stares he was receiving. "Originally it came with a 60cm caliber barrel, but to increase its range a lot of them were modified to use the newer 54cm barrel, designed to throw lighter projectiles at a longer distance. Technically I've made both versions of the barrel, but I had to use the original back when we shot Peorth out of it."

"Huh? Why?" asked the goddess of the roses, much to Urd's amusement, who leaned closer to offer her an explanation when Skuld hesitated to do so.

"Because your ginormous bottom might've gotten stuck in there, sweetheart!"

" _What did you just say?!_ "

The thundering explosion that propelled the massive mortar shell in the air caused the two bickering celestials to stop and cover their ears, even if it was too late. Skuld had already taken the liberty to try his weapon against the towering giant, but once the smoke cleared, it became apparent that Godzilla was totally unscratched and somewhat more agitated than before. "Eh?! Why didn't it do anything?!"

"Haven't you watched the movies?" shot Urd back to his brother. "That's not going to do anything against that guy! Let me give it a try!"

Cracking his knuckles with a grin on his face, Urd summoned his powers and lightning descended upon the roaring beast; yet the results were eerily similar to Skuld's attempt. "Uh…"

"That was a big fail!" shouted Skuld as he watched the giant approach them at a faster pace, clearly annoyed by their attacks.

"Oh, yeah? I was just getting warmed up," said Urd with a grin, preparing to unleash a much more powerful spell, until Peorth stopped him.

"Wait! We shouldn't try to use brute force to resolve this situation! If you miss the target, the whole area will be blown to bits!"

"Then what am I supposed to do? If we don't stop this thing now, it's going to turn into one of those old movies!" said Urd, raising an eyebrow at Peorth. "So, if you've got a better idea, I'm all ears!"

"This seems to be the result of a potion, so, using an antidote should deal with the problem," said the rose goddess as she glanced over at the blonde demoness who tried to keep a low profile, given that this was likely her fault.

"Uh… I don't have the antidote. Well, I do know how to make it, but the ingredients were kind of expensive and…" said Mara with an apologetic smile, as she scratched her chin while the others simply shook their heads.

"Seriously…" Urd had to admit that this was no longer funny, but as he was about to berate her for using that kind of potions without a care in the world, he noticed Belldandy run towards them, carrying Keiichi on his arms.

"Niisan! What's going on here?" asked the worried god of the present, while the uncomfortable mortal in his hands couldn't help but blush at the prospect of being carried along the beach in such a fashion.

"It's a long story, but the simple version is that, Mara goofed up; _again_ ," said Urd, pointing towards the embarrassed demoness who averted her gaze. "Although… what's up with you guys?"

" _Someone_ thought it was a great idea to put glue into a sunscreen bottle," said Keiichi, giving the youngest of the Norns a rather pointed glare, making Skuld hide for cover behind her mortar's barrel.

" _Right…_ " Letting out a sigh, Urd turned back to Belldandy as he tried to come up with a solution to their current problem. "Say, can you actually use one of your songs to make this guy fall asleep? It's going to make everything much easier if we stop him before he reaches the land."

"I suppose I could try, but my voice is a bit different now and I'm not sure if my songs work exactly the same as they did before or I need to make some adjustments."

" _Incoming!_ "

Peorth's shout caught everyone's attention as Godzilla's spikes gave off a blue light and all a sudden the giant monster fired a blue stream of fire at the group, only to be deflected by the rose goddess' shield that sent it skywards. Still, it immediately became apparent that the situation was getting out of hand and given that the best option was to deal with this threat before any real harm was done, Urd turned to the only person on the beach that could help them.

"Look, I know that you're not obligated to do anything, since it's technically Mara's fault, but… can you give us a hand here, mom?"

"Well… I'm not supposed to offer my assistance without any kind of payment, however… I think I can make an exception for you," said Hild with a tiny smile as she pressed two fingers against her lips and then blew a kiss in Belldandy's direction, sending a spade like charm flying towards the unsuspecting god who failed to notice it until it was far too late.

Upon contact, the charm exploded in a cloud of purple smoke that completely engulfed Belldandy and Keiichi, and as they coughed it immediately became apparent that something changed in their voices. They sounded far more familiar and as the smoke began to clear, everyone aside from Hild froze when they got to see what was going on. Belldandy and Keiichi were back in their old selves, but given that the latter's hands were still glued on the former's chest, it didn't take long for them to turn crimson.

" _Keiichi! Where do you think you're touching my big sister?!_ " screamed Skuld at the embarrassed mortal who was struggling to remain conscious from the sensation he was getting.

" _I'M NOT DOING IT ON PURPOSE!_ " cried the overwhelmed Keiichi, but didn't get to say much more than that.

Belldandy's markings began to glow in a brilliant white light, before an energy shockwave exploded outwards until it engulfed the entire area the surrounded them; including the very spot that the giant lizard was standing. For several long seconds nothing could be heard until everyone managed to open their eyes and look around, at which point they realized that nothing particularly terrible had taken place; far from it

"Hey! We're back to normal!" said Skuld as _she_ looked down at _her_ body, and a quick glance over at Urd verified that the Norn of the past was indeed a goddess once more.

"Hm… so it would seem. And by the looks of it, that also dispelled Mara's potion," said Urd, looking towards the ocean where there was no trace of any giant monster; just a tiny lizard that quickly swam away.

Meanwhile, Belldandy and Keiichi had managed to get unstuck and the goddess wasted no time to switch their outfits, given that they were back to their old bodies. Despite that, she still had a faint blush on her face as she still felt the sensation of Keiichi's touch and couldn't help but smile a little bit.

"Uh… B-Belldandy? A-About that… I…" said Keiichi, swallowing hard as he worried that it may had been too much for the otherwise reserved goddess to handle.

"It's alright, Keiichi. I know that you didn't do it on purpose," said Belldandy with a giggle, much to the poor mortal's disbelief; as he had expected a far more serious reaction from her. "So there's no need to worry about anything at all."

Offering her a rather sheepish nod, Keiichi couldn't help but smile at the goddess, only to have Peorth and Skuld flank him, although for very different reasons each.

"That was a bit unrefined, but with some practice you'll become an exceptional boyfriend, Keiichi," said Peorth with a cat like grin, while Skuld held a bomb out in a threatening manner.

"EEK! Don't you dare touch my big sister like that ever again, you… you… big pervert! Hey, where do you think you're going? Come back here, I'm not done with you!"

"I forgot my sun lotion!"

" _You want to glue yourself onto her, again?! U-Unforgivable!_ "

"Now, now… please stop doing that, Skuld," said Belldandy, causing her sister and even Keiichi to stop and turn towards her with a curious expression on their faces. "It's not bad if poor Keiichi gets a bit of a treat once in a while, so don't be so harsh with him, okay?"

As the stunned goddess of the future stared at her sister, along with an equally baffled and blushing Keiichi, Urd approached Mara and tapped her shoulder. "It's pretty much over, so how about we call it a day and go have a drink together?"

"What? You mean… after all this?" asked the baffled demoness, before she added. "Oh, and you need a top too, Urd…"

"I know, and I'm totally doing it on purpose, sweetheart. But don't worry, I'll summon something on the way, so let's go."

"Uh… s-sure…"

XXX

"To your plan's great success!"

Holding up her glass in a toast, Urd enjoyed the glare she received from her drinking partner who was nowhere as enthusiastic as she was. Moments earlier, they had arrived in a local beach bar and with everyone still scared from the whole incident that was eventually dismissed as either an elaborate prank or even a mirage of sorts, the whole place was nearly empty.

"Having fun, Urd?" shot the indignant demoness back at her friend, as she knew that she was making fun of her.

"Hey, I'm not sarcastic, you know. In all irony you've managed to accomplish a lot more that I've ever gotten in all those years," said Urd with a playful wink. "Those two got to experience some things from the other's perspective and there seems that they got a bit closer because of it. Oh, and it looks like Bell's not too allergic with being touchy feely anymore, either!."

"You sure know how to cheer me up…" grumbled Mara, taking a sip from her glass. "In all seriousness, I've just made a fool of myself; and in front of Hild-sama too. All I wanted to do was score a single victory, but… I guess, I'm still going to be the butt monkey..."

"Depends on your definition of victory, Mara. Do you honestly think that we can hang around like this if we both went back to our respective realms?" asked Urd, raising an eyebrow at her demoness friend.

"Uh…"

"As long as we're here on Earth, drinking together like this is perfectly fine, but… I think it's rather obvious what's going to happen if I go back, along with my sisters."

"Yeah, I know," said Mara with a sigh, looking down at her glass. "What am I supposed to do, then? It's not like I've got something against you and your sisters, but.. I still have a job to do."

"Then do it, silly. Look, I'm not allowed to offer you advice, but… if you score a lot of contracts while you're here on Earth, I'm sure that nobody will think that you're a failure. And as long as you don't get any of us involved, your chances of success will simply increase, too," said Urd with a smile, causing Mara to look up from her drink.

"Really? You think it's going to work?"

"Like I said, it's not allowed for a goddess to offer such advice, but I believe the answer's pretty obvious."

Thinking about it for a few seconds, the blonde's lips curled up in a big grin. "Hey, that's not a bad idea! I can sure turn the tide in my favor if I manage to pull it off!"

'You're so simple minded sometimes… But, that's part of what makes you so fun to talk to… oh well…' Chuckling as she drank from her glass, Urd ordered another round of drinks for them. "Well, the night's still young!"

"You said it! Bring it on, Urd!"

XXX

"And that's about it…"

Closing her book, Mara let out a sigh when she noticed that the little demoness next to her was far from ready to go to bed. Instead of being sleepy, the blonde tyke of terror simply stared back at her mother with her eyes wide open and an excited smile plastered on her face.

" _Ohh! What happened next?_ "

"Uh… nothing that a young demoness needs to know. Now, be a good girl and do your part of the deal. It's time to go to sleep," said the tired Mara, as she knew that there was no freaking way her daughter will give up without a fight.

" _Boo!... I want to know what happened next! You always stop before something interesting happens!_ " protested the indignant child.

"That's because your other mama will get mad at me if I tell you too much, Brunhild. Besides, in my defense, there were a few nice things in there! Like… a giant lizard!" said Mara, making a silly roar that caused her daughter to blink and remain silent for a while.

"Hm… can I have that potion?" asked the little demoness with such an innocent smile that almost fooled her mother to agree; _almost_.

"No! You're not trusted around such potions!"

Undeterred, the demonic child kept making demands, knowing at at some point she was going to get what she wanted. "Can I have the other one? I want to see mama Urd like a macho guy!"

"No! You're not going to prank Urd of all goddesses! Last time you turned her hair pink was more that enough trouble!" cried Mara, trying to forget about that incident.

"But, I want more siblings!" insisted the little demoness, earning a weird look from her mother.

"Huh? Who said that we need such a potion for something like that? After all, your other mother was no longer affected but it when…" stopping abruptly before she said too much, Mara was starting to sweat as she found herself in a very uncomfortable situation.

"Really? How does it work then?"

"Um… well… it's a bit boring and too technical to explain… Ten dimensional physics and all that..." said the poor demoness as she really had no intention to deal with the much dreaded _talk_ tonight; or any time soon. And to get herself out of her pinch, Mara decided to use the last resort. "Look, what's gonna make you forget about this? State your price..."

"Hm… That flying broom I saw yesterday at the mall was _really_ nice," said Brunhild with an innocent smile.

"Deal!" said Mara, trying not to wince as she recalled the price tag that was attached to the aforementioned artifact.

"Yay! You're the best mom in the world! Quite easy too!" laughed the little demoness, much to her mother's chagrin.

Waiting for her to come out of their daughter's room, Urd enjoyed the frustrated look on Mara's face and couldn't help but chuckle as she approached her. "So how did it go?"

"She robbed me blind… Now I've got to buy her that broom," said the blonde demoness with a frustrated sigh. "How come you always manage to put her to sleep so easily while I've got so much trouble with her?"

"Oh, that?" asked Urd with a giggle, waving her hand at Mara. "I just tell her about uncle Keiichi's bike stories and since she's nothing like Skuld, she tends to fall asleep within minutes. Works every time and I've got tons of stories to tell, in all their excruciating details."

There was a long pause as Mara stared back at the grinning goddess who struggled not to burst into laughter.

" _WHY HAVEN'T YOU EVER TOLD ME ABOUT THIS? DAMMIT, URD!_ "

XXX


End file.
